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Temple Street Night Market

Temple Street is in Yau Ma Tei and is most famous for it's Night Market which is sometimes called the ordinary peoples nightclub!  Since the 1920's a night market or street bazaar has run selling all kinds of stuff and including food stalls.

It was in the late 60's that the government made a decision to make it a formal market with pre-marked stall spaces and license fees.

Starting in the evening hours everyday, Temple street stalls will start to open for business one after after another. The things being sold are really a wide range of things including men's clothes, mostly t-shirts and jeans etc, some handicrafts, traditional Chinese tea, some jade and antiques, lots of cheap electronics, as well as a few "adult items".

In the days outside the temple there are many fortune teller fortune-telling stalls, and sometimes there will be close to traditional Cantonese opera performances. Also years ago there have been some martial arts performers in this show and sale of drugs but that is all gone now. In addition, there is also a lot of local characteristics snacks stalls, including seafood , claypot rice and all kinds of noodles and so on.

As well as plenty of tourists you'll also find many Hong Kong people there.  And sometimes older folk will sit at tables and play games such as mahjong.

This is one of the few places you can see the traditional fortune-telling-by-bird.  Where a caged bird will select a fortune card from the pile spread out on the pavement.  The fortune teller then reads and interprets your fortune from the card.

In 2010 a decorative arch was set up by the government to promote the market.

Some people see it as a successor to the "Poor Man's Nightclub" which used to be near the Macau ferry pier but is now long gone.

Open hours and fees

There is no official opening hours but things don't start cooking until after dark.  Try eating dinner first then going there for an after dinner snack.  That's a very HK thing to do!  No fees to enter the market but of course individual stalls are going to charge you.

Getting there

Take the MTR Tsuen Wan line northwards and get out at Jordan.  Then it is a 5 minute walk.  Go north along Nathan Road and turn right at Saigon Street until you reach Temple Street.

Nearby

• Mido Cafe is a traditional HK style cafe like those you see in the films from the golden age of HK cinema in the 50's
• Jade market is also nearby

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